Katan stayed in front of her, prepared to fight.
Four men clad in black surrounded Arghet, who had regained his feet.
“You good?” Katan didn’t sound worried in the least.
“Yes, stay out of it,” Arghet warned.
“Aren’t you going to help him?” She tried to push Katan toward Arghet, but Katan refused to budge. A stubborn, obnoxious mountain of muscle.
Katan blinked at her, as if surprised. “I would not insult Arghet so.”
Sure enough, Arghet made short work of three of the men, who were humanoid in appearance but not human, exactly. The fourth hung back. Before Arghet could attack him, another fighter, this one a serpentyne from Vorhun-Takse, slithered over the back patio and flared its hood, hissing in warning.
“Hells.” Katan took a step forward.
The serpentyne got their name from a resemblance to snakes, and because offworlders couldn’t pronounce their actual name, an amalgamation of hissing and spitting that made little sense. The serpentyne assassins were infamous throughout the Five Galaxies. Typically male, agile, and fast, the morphed from man-shape to snake-shape and carried a toxin in their fangs that paralyzed their prey before they swallowed them whole. The same size as Arghet, the giant serpentyne seemed to be playing with him.
Arghet stumbled twice, bleeding profusely from his wounds.
“Before I give the order to finish him,” said the remaining man, standing back, watching. “Know that you brought this on yourself.” He shimmered, and suddenly the partially humanoid male took on Red Francisco’s form. “You’re mine until the day you die, bitch. I own that ass. And for what you did to my son, I’ll make sure you live a very long time.” Red smiled. “Come with me and we’ll kill your friends quick. If not, I’ll make sure we—”
A woman wielding a sword landed on the back patio from out of nowhere. She sliced the head off the serpentine and stabbed Red through the heart in a matter of seconds. “Ah. Good.” Long black hair, purple eyes, and full lips that turned up in a smile showed a face many would consider beautiful. She wore long black trousers, a blank tank, and fitted black boots.
The tattoo under her left eye blazed red, and Mandy wondered if this woman was in fact a barbarian, despite her odd attire.
The female warrior stared at Arghet as she returned her thin, very sharp blade to the scabbard on her back. “Perhaps,” she said, and tilted her head, still watching him. Then she saluted Arghet, winked at Mandy, and ran over the edge of the balcony.
Arghet hurried after her. “What the hells? She’s gone.”
“I’m so confused.” Mandy leaned back against the wall, not sure what to do. But at least, with Red gone, she was officially a free woman again. “What do I do now?”
